Manley Lanier "Sonny" Carter Jr., M.D. (August 15, 1947 – April 5, 1991), (

Capt Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

, USN), was an American chemist, physician, professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player, naval officer and

aviator An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

, test pilot, and NASA

astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...

who flew on STS-33.

Early life and education

Sonny Carter was born on August 15, 1947, to parents Manley L. Carter and Elizabeth C. Carter in Macon, Georgia, but considered Warner Robins, Georgia to be his hometown. He graduated from Lanier High School in Macon in 1965, and during his high school years was actively involved in the Macon-based Troop 19 of the Boy Scouts of America, where he also served a term as Senior Patrol Leader, the highest leadership position for a young man in that BSA troop, and earned its highest rank of Eagle Scout. Carter received a Bachelor of Arts degree in

Chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

from Emory University in Atlanta in 1969, and a Doctor of Medicine degree from there in 1973. During his time at Emory, Carter was a brother in the

Alpha Tau Omega Alpha Tau Omega (), commonly known as ATO, is an American social fraternity founded at the Virginia Military Institute in 1865 by Otis Allan Glazebrook. The fraternity has around 250 active and inactive chapters and colonies in the United Stat ...

fraternity. After completing Emory University School of Medicine in 1973, Carter completed internship in internal medicine at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta.

Athletic career

Carter played collegiate

and ran

track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

while an undergraduate at Emory University. During his senior season, he was

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

and

most valuable player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

of the soccer team. In addition to his intercollegiate athletic career, Carter was an intramural wrestling champion. He played professional soccer while he attended medical school. In 1970, he signed with the

Atlanta Chiefs The Atlanta Chiefs were an American professional soccer team based in Atlanta, Georgia. The team competed in the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) in 1967 and the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1968 to 1973 and again from 19 ...

of the North American Soccer League, for which he played three seasons.

Navy service

In 1974, Carter entered the U.S. Navy and completed

flight surgeon A flight surgeon is a military medical officer practicing in the clinical field of aviation medicine. Although the term "flight surgery" is considered improper by purists, it may occasionally be encountered. Flight surgeons are physicians ( MD ...

school in

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...

. After serving tours as a flight surgeon with the

1st First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

and

3rd Marine Aircraft Wing The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (abbreviated as 3rd MAW) is the major west coast aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps. It is headquartered at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, in San Diego, California and provides the aviation combat el ...

s, he returned to flight training at Beeville, Texas, and was designated a

Naval Aviator Naval aviation is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. Naval aviation is typically projected to a position nearer the target by way of an aircraft carrier. Carrier-based a ...

on April 28, 1978. He was assigned as the senior medical officer of the

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

, and in March 1979 completed F-4 training at VMFAT-101 in Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona. He was subsequently reassigned as a

fighter pilot A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained to engage in air-to-air combat, air-to-ground combat and sometimes electronic warfare while in the cockpit of a fighter aircraft. Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and ...

, flying F-4 Phantoms with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 333 (

VMFA-333 Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 333 (VMFA-333) was a United States Marine Corps fighter squadron consisting of F/A-18 Hornets. Known as the "Fighting Shamrocks" and “Trip Trey”, the squadron participated in action during World War II, the Vietn ...

) at MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina. In 1981, he completed a nine-month Mediterranean cruise aboard USS ''Forrestal'' with

VMFA-115 Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 115 (VMFA-115) is a United States Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet squadron. Officially nicknamed the "Silver Eagles" and on occasion ''Joe's Jokers'' after their first commanding officer Major Joe Foss, the squadron is ...

. In September 1982, he attended U.S. Navy Fighter Weapons School ( TOPGUN) and then served as the

2nd Marine Aircraft Wing The 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (2nd MAW) is the major east coast aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps and is headquartered in Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. The Wing provides the aviation combat element for the ...

standardization officer and F-4 combat readiness evaluator at MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina. He then attended the

U.S. Naval Test Pilot School The United States Naval Test Pilot School (USNTPS), located at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River in Patuxent River, Maryland, provides instruction to experienced United States Navy, Marine Corps, Army, Air Force, and foreign military experi ...

, graduating in June 1984. Carter logged 3,000 flying hours and 160 carrier landings.

NASA career

Selected by NASA in May 1984, Carter became an astronaut in June 1985, qualified for assignment as a Mission Specialist on future Space Shuttle flight crews.

Space Shuttle program

Carter was assigned as

Extra-vehicular activity Extravehicular activity (EVA) is any activity done by an astronaut in outer space outside a spacecraft. In the absence of a breathable Earthlike atmosphere, the astronaut is completely reliant on a space suit for environmental support. EVA inc ...

(EVA) Representative for the Mission Development Branch of the Astronaut Office when selected to the crew of STS-33. The STS-33 crew launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, at night on November 22, 1989, aboard the Space Shuttle ''Discovery''. The mission carried Department of Defense payloads and other secondary payloads. After 79 orbits of the earth, this five-day mission concluded on November 27, 1989, with a hard surface landing on Runway 04 at

Edwards Air Force Base Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation in California. Most of the base sits in Kern County, but its eastern end is in San Bernardino County and a southern arm is in Los Angeles County. The hub of the base is E ...

, California. Carter logged 120 hours in space. At the time of his death in April 1991, Carter was assigned as Mission Specialist 3 on the crew of STS-42 ''Discovery'', the first International Microgravity Laboratory (IML-1). His place was taken by Dave Hilmers.

Death

Carter died in the April 5, 1991, crash of Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2311 in

Brunswick, Georgia Brunswick () is a city in and the county seat of Glynn County in the U.S. state of Georgia. As the primary urban and economic center of the lower southeast portion of Georgia, it is the second-largest urban area on the Georgia coastline after Sa ...

. He was aboard the commercial airplane traveling for NASA. His wife Dana and two daughters, Olivia Elizabeth (born May 27, 1974) and Meredith Corvette (born December 3, 1976), were not on the flight. Among the others who also died in the plane crash was John Tower, a former

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

from Texas.

Organizations

Carter was a member of the Society of U.S. Naval Flight Surgeons, Sigma Delta Psi, Alpha Omega Alpha,

, the Marine Corps Aviation Association, the

Tailhook Association The Tailhook Association is a U.S.-based non-profit fraternal organization supporting the interests of sea-based aviation, with emphasis on aircraft carriers. The word tailhook refers to the hook underneath the tail of the aircraft that catch ...

, and the Society of Experimental Test Pilots.

Special honors

* Air Medal * Meritorious Service Medal * Navy Achievement Medal * Meritorious Unit Citation * Marine Corps Aviation Association Special Category Award (1982) *NASA Meritorious Service Medal (1988) * NASA Space Flight Medal (1989) Carter was the Guest of Honor at the 215th Marine Corps Birthday Ball.

Legacy

Having died in the line of duty for NASA, Carter's name was added to the Space Mirror Memorial at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Merritt Island, Florida. His name was the first added after the memorial's original construction. After his death, his name was given to the Sonny Carter Training Facility Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, NASA's underwater astronaut training facility, for which he had developed training techniques. In 1989, Emory University inducted him in its Athletic Hall of Fame. The university holds The Sonny Carter Invitational each year in his honor. A plaque also honors his memory in the library of the

fraternity A fraternity (from Latin language, Latin ''wiktionary:frater, frater'': "brother (Christian), brother"; whence, "wiktionary:brotherhood, brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club (organization), club or fraternal ...

house at Emory, in which he was a Brother. 20-02-034-aviation

In 1992 he was inducted into the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame. Sonny Carter Elementary School in Macon, Georgia, which opened in 1993, was named for Carter. The school motto is: "To Challenge the Edge of the Universe." The Society of United States Naval Flight Surgeons (SUSNFS) bestows an annual "Sonny Carter Memorial Award" to the nominee with the most significant contribution to the health, safety and welfare of the operational forces by promoting communication and teamwork amongst the aeromedical community.

Physical description

*Weight: 165 lb (75 kg) *Height: 6 ft ½ in (1.84 m) *Hair: Brown *Eyes: Blue

References

External links

Astronautix biography of Sonny Carter

Brunswick, GA Commuter Plane Crash Kills John Tower, Sonny Carter, and 21 others, Apr 1991
Article at GenDisasters.com. * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Sonny 1947 births 1991 deaths 1989 in spaceflight Physician astronauts United States Navy astronauts Sportspeople from Macon, Georgia People from Warner Robins, Georgia Emory University alumni Emory University School of Medicine alumni United States Naval Test Pilot School alumni United States Navy captains Aviators from Georgia (U.S. state) United States Naval Aviators 20th-century American chemists United States Navy Medical Corps officers Accidental deaths in Georgia (U.S. state) Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States Recipients of the Air Medal North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players Atlanta Chiefs players Association football defenders American soccer players Space Shuttle program astronauts Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1991